Her Sweet Alpha

Chapter Five

Dade stepped back to admire his work. He tilted his head to the side. It wasn’t to his taste, but it was just what the owner requested. Rustic surroundings be damned, the owner wanted an industrial theme. That equated to a stainless-steel backsplash, concrete countertops, metal shelving, and gunmetal gray walls. They’d commissioned an artist to construct a steel and glass dining room table. The overall effect off all that glass and steel was cold and uninviting. He could understand it if it was a loft in the city. Converting a log cabin out in the woods into some sort of factory look alike just didn’t make sense to him. But, hey, it wasn’t his money.

He thought of Halle’s cozy little house. He hoped she was willing to move in with him as he couldn’t leave his pack. He couldn’t help but grin at his thoughts. The woman was barely willing to answer the phone to talk to him and he was already planning her move.

He’d learned more about Halle from Davy and Baxter’s observations than from his conversations with her. The girl had some serious trust issues. He suspected it had something to do with the jackass that kept harassing her at work. He’d instructed his pack to keep an eye out for that guy.

He wished he could be there to do it himself, but it probably for the best that he wasn’t. Much as it pained Dade, Halle needed more time to accept him. The only way he could do that was to stay away from her. He’d never felt hunger like this—not even when he’d been a horny teen. He woke each morning with steel in his pants. No matter how many times he took himself in hand, he was hard again within minutes. Nothing and no one would satisfy him but Halle.

He couldn’t wait to hear her voice. It was past six, and the rest of the crew was gone. He’d been working late every day in hopes of getting ahead of schedule. Hell, he’d even slept on the porch a couple of nights when Halle had been ignoring his calls. He’d stayed and worked until he could barely stand. There were miles of unspoiled forest around him, but he’d been too cautious to shift into his wolf form. Though he was still cognizant as a wolf, he had less control over his impulses. Most likely, he would have awakened on Halle’s porch. Hell, he might have jumped through her bedroom window and curled up at her feet. That’s how much he wanted to be with her.

She might think that he was treating her as though she were fragile, but thus far, she’d behaved as skittishly as a deer foal when in his presence. He couldn’t imagine what her reaction would be if she suspected the strength of his desire for her. He couldn’t risk scaring her off. If she ran from him, he would chase her. He couldn’t rein in that instinct no matter how hard he tried.

Travis poked his head in the front door. “We’re leaving. Some of the guys wanted to go on a run. Are you coming?”

There wasn’t much in the way of entertainment up here. There were a few other large cabins, most of them empty vacation homes, the bed and breakfast they’d chosen for lodging, a few hotels, a restaurant or two, and a bar. By ten o’clock, all lights went out. The environment was perfect for an evening run, but provided nothing in the way of diversions for a group of single men.

“No. I’m going to head back to the B&B and call Halle. You go on. I’ll lock up here.”

Travis nodded. “See you later.”

***

Halle put away her dinner dishes. Dinner had been microwaved low calorie lasagna and a Caesar salad. It’d been quick and all she’d been willing to deal with after a day of sweeping, dusting, and sanitizing. That mystery stuff in the bowl in the back of her fridge turned out to be leftover mashed potatoes. Now after washing dishes, all she wanted to do was have a shower and maybe zone out in front of the television.

Headlights lit up her front windows. Halle dried her hands and hung up the dish towel. She was already at the door when the doorbell rang.

“Halle,” she was quickly enveloped in a perfumed hug by her cousin Missy. It wasn’t that they hadn’t seen each other recently. Missy was simply a hugger.

Halle pulled back to look at her cousin. Missy’s hair was arranged in big glossy curls. She wore deep blue eye shadow on pale eyelids. Her lips were a dark plum. “Have a date?”

“No. Some of the girls and I are going to a club. I would have asked you to come, but I thought you’d be working.”

Halle nodded, but she knew her cousin was merely being kind. She wasn’t a club kind of girl. She found clubs boring. She didn’t drink and she couldn’t dance. She was a horrible flirt—as in she didn’t know how to flirt. At all. She always ended up saying something awkward to attractive guys. “So, what’s up?”

“I came to check on you. Grandma Annie’s been bugging me all week to stop by.” Missy lived with their grandmother Annie. Missy’s mother Rhonda had been a handful. She’d had Missy when she was barely eighteen. They weren’t sure who Missy’s father was, but given her café au lait skin tone and naturally golden hair, he was probably white. Rhonda hadn’t put his name on the birth certificate. When Missy was only ten, Rhonda had been murdered by an abusive boyfriend. Grandma Annie had taken Missy in and raised her.

“I just talked to Grandma a couple of days ago.”

“And she said that you acted like you were fine.”

“That’s because I am.”

Missy rolled her large, expressive eyes. “You know she’s heard right? Everybody has.” When Halle remained silent, Missy made a sucking sound. “The werewolf. Grandma says you can come stay with us.”

Halle didn’t want her family frightened so she didn’t bother to mention how pointless that would be. Dade would just sniff her out if she stayed in town. “Dade isn’t dangerous.”

“Dade?” Missy crossed thin arms over her chest. “You’re on a first name basis.”

“Well, that is his name.”

“Not dangerous? And he’s a werewolf? Halle, that’s just…crazy. You’re….” She threw her arms up in the air and expelled a huff of air. “You’re the last person I’d think I’d have to have this discussion with.” She laughed. “This is so new, I don’t even know what to say. You’re usually the one telling me to dump some loser.”

“I’m not dating him. I haven’t even seen him since that night.”

Missy’s eyebrows lifted and a wicked grin curved her lips. “Oh, really? So, it was a one-night sort of thing? How was he? I’ve never—”

“Oh, my God! I’ve never either! I didn’t sleep with him.” Halle flopped down on her couch. Sometimes living in a small town could really be a pain. She reminded herself that Missy was here out of love. Still, it was pretty annoying to have everyone poking their noses in her personal business.

Missy planted her hands on her narrow hips. She’d modeled a little during high school and for a short while after. All the women in their family were taller than average, but Missy was one of the few who was also blessed with skinny genes. The money was good but Missy had hated the way she was treated. As thin as she was naturally, there were always demands for her to be thinner. Now Missy worked as receptionist in at the local dentist’s office and she seemed to enjoy her job. “I heard from James, who heard from Whitney—”

Halle sighed. “Could we skip the gossip origins story and get to the point?”

“Word is that he would have taken you right there in the diner if Lamar hadn’t saved you.”

“Lamar caused a distraction,” she said grudgingly, reluctant to allow Lamar to be cast as a hero. “None of that matters. Dade left town for a job.”

Missy tilted her head to the side. “I heard he was hot.”

Halle didn’t like the speculative gleam in her cousin’s eyes. But Missy wasn’t the first woman to mention Dade’s looks. Both Angela and Lizzy had commented about how handsome Dade was. A burning, nauseous sensation twisted her belly. She refused to acknowledge that it might be jealousy.

Her cousin laughed. “So, he was.”

“Missy—”

Holding up a hand, she backed toward the door. “I’ll tell Grandma that she’s got nothing to worry about. I don’t know what we were thinking. I should have known that you of all people weren’t having a torrid affair with a hot werewolf.”

Halle bristled at that “you of all people” snipe. As if nothing interesting ever happened to her. As if she never had any adventures. But she let the comment slide. She wanted this conversation over and Missy was leaving.

***

Dade settled back in bed. He’d gotten a couple of burgers from the one fast food restaurant in town and eaten it in the car on the way back to the bed and breakfast. He hoped that Halle was home because he was anxious to talk to her. He hadn’t even bothered to dress after his shower before grabbing his phone and reclining on the hotel bed. A damp towel was his only apparel.

That was probably for the best. Listening to Halle’s sweet voice always played havoc with his hormones. Clothes would only confine him and make him uncomfortable. “Hello?” At her first word, his cock reacted as though her breath had whispered over his skin. He ran a hand down his chest and over his abs. He hesitated a second before gripping his dick to relieve some of the ache.

“Halle.” His voice came out in a growl. He couldn’t help it. “I don’t know how much longer I can stand to be away from you.”

“And I don’t know how to begin to respond to that.”

He laughed, but he was well aware that they weren’t where they needed to be. She had to accept him. He was so much farther along than she was. “Tell me about your day.”

“I spent the day cleaning up. I’m usually at work so I was behind on my housekeeping.”

“Your home looked very clean and tidy when I visited. Why do you work so much?”

“I don’t have anything else to do.” He could hear the shrug in her voice.

“Do you like your job?”

“It’s…okay. I don’t hate it.” He was relieved. That meant she wouldn’t mind leaving it when she came to live with him. “It’s not like I dreamt of becoming a waitress when I studied art history in college. But getting that degree shows that I wasn’t really focused on my career. My degree is useless in this town.”

“Are you an artist?”

“No. I had a fondness for art and I wanted to know more. It was an incredibly stupid decision. I enjoyed my studies, but choosing art history without a plan for my future…. Anyway, how about you?”

“I didn’t go to college. My father owned a construction company. As soon as I was strong enough to hold a hammer over my head, he put me to work.”

“Do you like working in construction?”

Dade thought about it a moment. “Yeah. I like working with my hands. I can do it…and sort of zone out. I like creating something beautiful.”

She laughed. “You’re an artist.”

Appalled, he shook his head even though she couldn’t see it. “No.”

“What’s the matter? You think being labeled an artist will soften your growly, big bad wolf image?”

He paused. “Are you teasing me?” He didn’t mind. He’d like it if she were. It’d mean she wasn’t afraid of him.

“Yes,” she sounded surprised.

He smiled. “I’m still not an artist. It’s not my vision. An interior decorator mapped out the design for the renovations we’re making on this project. I don’t have a great deal of input on the creative end. If I did, we probably wouldn’t have made any changes to the cabin at all. It was a nice place. We’re turning it into a meat locker.”

“What?”

He laughed at the shock in her voice. “Not literally. They wanted an industrial look. Everything is gray and made of steel, concrete, or glass.”

“That doesn’t sound much like a mountain cabin.”

“On that we agree. The rumor is that the wife wanted a loft in the city and this was the only way she’d agree to move out here. The husband wanted a getaway for hiking and fishing. This was their compromise.” He took a deep breath and crossed his fingers. “Do you like mountain cabins?” Please, say yes. He didn’t want to sell his house. But he would if Halle didn’t like it.

“That depends. I’m not fond of the ones that are glorified shacks. They’re fine for a day, but I wouldn’t want to live in one.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “You’ll like our cabin.”

Halle sucked in her breath. “Our cabin?”

“Yeah, Halle, our—”

“Dade, you really don’t have to keep doing this. If this is about sex, you can say so. I’ll even respect you for admitting it.”

The deep growl erupted before he could stop it. His cell phone creaked from the pressure he’d placed upon it. “Halle, you’re mine. Forever. Not just for a few hours or even a few nights.” Silence greeted his outburst. Fuck! He’d frightened her. Again. “Halle, I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want you. So, I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that I haven’t spent every minute since we met thinking about making you mine in every way. But I’m all in. I’m waiting for you to catch up, but my patience is fraying. I’ve been waiting for you all my life.” Alphas were meant to act. Sitting around twiddling his thumbs simply wasn’t his way. His animal side chomped at the bit to break free and claim his woman. “I get that you’ve been hurt, but I’m not like any of the men you’ve been with before. When a wolf vows forever, he means it.”

“H-how would you make me yours?”

There was an edge of curious excitement in her voice. Dade took a slow, deep inhale. “I’d kiss you.”

“You’ve already kissed me.”

He shook his head. “No. I don’t know what you’d call that, but it wasn’t a kiss. I want the taste of you on my tongue. I want…no, I need to cover you with my scent so every other man will know that you belong to me. I need to claim you. I want to kiss and lick every inch of you. And after I’ve done that, I’ll roll you over and pin you to the bed. I’ll—”

Halle cleared her throat. “I get the picture.”

***

She shouldn’t have asked him that. She so shouldn’t have asked. The evident desire in his voice stirred a matching response low in her belly. She shifted her legs restlessly against her sheets, so aroused that she was hyperaware of the friction of her sleep bra over her tight nipples. Her panties were soaked. Hell, she was afraid that she’d wet her sleep shorts. “Um, I should go. I have to—”

“Don’t be afraid of me, Halle, please. I’d die to keep you safe.”

Halle gave a shaky laugh. It wasn’t so much that she feared him, but her reaction to him. She didn’t want to make another stupid mistake. “You have a talent. You make me believe anything you say.”

“Good, because I haven’t lied to you.”

“I…I just…Dade, I don’t know.” He was asking a lot of her and he was still essentially a stranger.

“But I do. I know. Goodnight, Halle.”

“Goodnight, Dade.”